Smithsonian Institution

Interest in the impending birth of a panda at the National Zoo was so great this weekend that the famous “panda cam” crashed its Web page. And that was just for the first birth. Who knew the day would end with panda twins?

The pregnancy had escaped notice until just a few days ago. But by Saturday, Mei Xiang the giant panda was showing signs of preparing to give birth, and at 5:35 p.m., she did just that, with the zoo’s full panda team on hand to watch the intimate event.

The big surprise came a few hours later, revealed via Twitter: “We can confirm a second cub was born at 10:07. It appears healthy.”

As usual, the cubs were born pink, with wispy fur, and blind. It was...

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